Written monday 23.6 kl 17.00 (Situation described after Odas
perspective of view. Facts can be wrong – and unluckily our electronical
loogbook collapsed under the accident so time and positions is difficult to
recall accurate)

Yesterday evening (22.6) Stormvogel told us on VHF they found lot of water
into the bilge (several hundreds liter). It was critical because
they didn’t know where the leak was and it still flowed in 20 litre pr.
min.

The information did not reach Southern Star which were out of VHF-range,
and Oda called them on satphone – and asked them to imediately turn because we
feared Stormvogel would sink and we needed their assistance.

Stormvogel concentrated on finding and stopping the leak, when Oda, after
agreement with Stormvogel took responsibility to contact
rescueorganisation. Oda choosed to take contact with the norwegian
rescuecenter Hovedredningssentralen in Stavanger, which they had make an
agreement with before they started their circumnavigation.

After a while Stormvogel found the leak, around the centerboard, which were
newly maintained i NZ. 3 of 4 bolts were broken and centerboard was moving and
they feared the leake could increase very fast. After a while Stormvogel
succeded in stabilizing the moving centerboard with a peace of wood.

Southern Star was 25 nm away, but ETA should be around 1,5 hour later
because Stormvogel and Oda was sailing in their direction.

After agreement with the australian / norwegian rescuorganisation the epirb
in Stormvogel was activated. Oda was warned from the norwegian
rescuoperation about going onboard in Stormvogel under the circumstances which
were described above, but to prepare for taking the people onbord in Oda. At
this moment – this was also skipper of Odas meaning – it was to risky to set on
sea the 35 kg dingy from Oda. It would also be very difficult to take
people onboard in the small dingy with only one crew in the dingy under these
weathercircumstances. Using a line from the boat would may be have been
the best solution to pick people up from water.

Oda prepared for getting the people in Stormvogel onboard in Oda if the
situation increased. Rescueorganisation told a cargoship could be here at 1830
UTC and an airplane 1930 (when the light comes) with possibility to drop
rescuematerials if necessary. We said at that time yes to both options. On
question about a helicopter the norwegian rescueoperation told us we were to far
away from land.

After a while skipper in Stormvogel succeded with mounting a new electrical
pump in the bilge – and they got control of the incoming water, but still feared
the centerboard to collapse – and the leak to be to big to handle with big
chance of loosing the boat. To get two people onboard in Oda would
also have been very difficult and dangerous in the weather with around 1,5 m
waves and 20 kt wind. To get in the small dingy from Oda – which were
prepared and ready to go – would also been very dangerous.

We all hoped the boat would not sink before Southern Star with a bigger
dingy could help. After around 1,5 hour – they came. We had long
discussions among the three boats and all agreed on waiting til the daylight
come to go onboard in Stormvogel. Stormvogel monitired the situation very
carefully the hole night.

The night was tense – and we all had radiocontact every 2 hours and visual
contact all the time. Luckily we could wait for the daylight to go onboard in
Stormvogel. In between Stormvogel had after advise from australian
rescuofficer deactivated the epirb , because they at that moment not longer was
in a maydaysituation.

Southern Star crew managed the next morning in a dangerous operation to
unloade the dingy and get skipper onboard in dingy – and later skipper in Oda in
the same dingy and at last onboard in Stormvogel to help.

Around 0900 to skippers entered Stormvogel and was there working til the
containership appered around 1400. Oda was securing the Southern Star
skipper when he should go onboard in the dingy in case the dingy capsized
and he felt in water. We testet this operation in advance with doing a 360 turn
very close to Southern Star to pick up a boey in the water, which should intend
to be a man overboard.

Skipper and coskipper in Southern Star took over the communication with
australien rescueorganisation and kept them informed all the time . After a
while it showed up an idea from Stormvogels friends in Germany, to use
sement/concrete to stabilize the senterboard in the bilge in addition to the
hardwood already used.

This wish for sement was sent to australian rescueorganisations which again
asked the Containership Qweilin to participate in the rescuework, but this time
to give shelter to the dingy from Northern Star and sement to Stormvogel.
Very close to the drifting containership (185 x 28 m) the dingy and the 3 boats
one bye one did their operating sheltered from the ship. The big
dingy from Southern Star and the mothership got some damaged when the dingy was
lifted onboard, but no people was hurt in the action.

The skippers on Southern Star and Oda was now the girls onboard – which
useually not do manoevers like this – neither do the more experienced skippers
in the dingy. They succeded – and all were very tired and had a very nice
and calm night sleeping.... The 3 boats will still sail together to
Cairns, the weather is good and ETA is on saturday 28. of June